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Capture Your Wins

If someone asked you to explain what your city has accomplished this year, what would you tell them? More importantly, what would you show them?

Imagery is one of your best tools (aside from metrics) to demonstrate the progress your city and staff have made, especially on long term initiatives. Images tell a quick story in the flash of a second and–in an era when everyone has a camera built into their phone–society has been trained to expect a photo to “prove” claims that are made. Plus, people react to imagery much more than words, and social media data proves it.

As we move further into the digital era, photos–and visuals in general–are no longer a nicety, but essential to your social media strategy. According to the American Marketing Association, video content will drive 85 percent of search engine traffic in the U.S. by 2019. And according to Social Media Strategist Jeff Bullas, Facebook Posts with photos garner 37 percent more engagement than those without, while Twitter reports that Tweets that include photos receive 35 percent more Retweets.

Taking before, during and after photos of the repaving of a road will ease your resident’s frustration about the 15 minutes the road closure tacked onto his or her commute. Filming a timelapse of the construction of a new community center will generate buzz about the center on opening day. Capturing the smiles of residents enjoying your agency’s Citizen’s Academy will tell more about the program’s benefits than a written description.

With captured wins in your marketing artillery, you can grab the attention of your community to better inform them of city hall happenings, show your City Council the fruits of staff’s hard work, enhance marketing collateral and more.

Great imagery doesn’t always require high-end equipment or even consultants like us (though certain venues, purposes and events merit professional photography). Any staff member with a newer smartphone can do the job. Click the button below for instructions for gathering pictures and video that can be used to feature the accomplishments of your city.